Writers Stirke Out

Last night was the season finale of Heroes. Huh? A season finale in the beginning of December? Unfortunately, episode shortages are happening all over your TV Guide due to the Writer's Guild of America Strike, which has been going on now for a month from tomorrow.

Luckily, most of my television vice comes from reality TV in the form of Survivor, America's Next Top Model,and Project Runway which have all been taped months in advance, and don't have writers from the WGA anyway. Phew.

But having Heroes cut this short, especially after such a long and satisfying first season is just unacceptable.

Really, I am not informed enough on the issue to take a stand, but that's beside the point. The point is, that when the WGA went on strike in 1988, it lasted 22 weeks, and frankly, I am not ready to give up other shows like Grey's Anatomy and CSI while these people work this stuff out.

The good people of America just want their TV--is that so much to ask?

--Gina

Oh, the places you'll go after The Daily Iowan...

How about The Mall of America?

DI alum Matt Snyders, now a writer at City Pages in Minneapolis, MN, lived in the giant shopping center for one week. After detailing his experiences in an article at the paper, Fox News picked up the story and interviewed him on Monday. Watch the video here.

Matt said he accepted the assignment after learning he could avoid the newsroom for a whole week. Doesn't sound so bad. I've been thinking I need to get out of here more. Hmmm... maybe I should tackle something similar. A week in the Ped Mall? IMU? Any more ideas?

- Susan

I want to be the sixth Spice Girl

The Spice Girls reunion has sparked a little 1996 nostalgia in me; while I'm not willing to shell out $100 plus dollars to sit in nosebleed seats at a concert, I have taken it upon myself to learn the dance to "Stop" for the annual DI Wine and Cheese holiday party. Consider the choreographed masterpiece my gift to all of my beloved co-workers.



Lessons for "Stop" will occur daily in the Arts/Opinions cubicle until Friday, much to the annoyance of Jon.

XOXO-
Susan

Music Piracy

Stealing is illegal in all fifty states, whether it is a candy bar from the local gas station, a shirt from the mall, or music on the internet. Downloading music without purchasing it is illegal, immoral, and disrespectful to the artists who’re making the music. It prevents up-and-coming artists from establishing a profitable career, as well as threatens the livelihood of the millions of people working in the music industry.

Many may argue the Robin Hood analogy, saying that the artists make more money than they need to, but what many don’t realize is that the artists aren’t the only ones whose paycheck comes from record sales.

"A lot more goes into a CD than it may appear. The price of a CD doesn’t just go back to the record company. Everyone who works with me to record and distribute my music makes a living and supports their families from CD sales as well. It’s a big network of people from my co-producer, the engineers, my band all the way to assembly line people who help to manufacture the CDs and the truck drivers who get them to the stores. There are now legitimate websites that provide an alternative to illegal burning. I want to encourage my listeners to use these sites and to buy instead of burning illegally. On behalf of the team who works alongside me, we’d appreciate it," says Steven Curtis Chapman, a religious singer.

The following is a breakdown of the cost of a typical major-label release by the independent market-research firm Almighty Institute of Music Retail shows where the money goes for a new album with a list price of $15.99.
• $0.17 Musicians’ unions
• $0.80 Packaging/manufacturing
• $0.82 Publishing royalties
• $0.80 Retail profit
• $0.90 Distribution
• $1.60 Artists’ royalties
• $1.70 Label profit
• $2.40 Marketing/promotion
• $2.91 Label overhead
• $3.89 Retail overhead

Save the music industry – stop pirating! (Music piracy is any form of unauthorized duplication and/or distribution of music including downloading, file sharing, and CD-burning.)

-Lauren Matovina

Just Rock and Roll

Midtown recently announced they are planning a reunion show for the Spring, date and location TBA.

Maybe this will out me as a crazy person, but I am already mapquesting how to get to New Jersey (the band's home state, and assumed location of the show).

Honestly though, I'm not *too* sad the band broke up. After accosting lead singer Gabe Saporta after a Cobra Starship concert (his new band, but don't try to draw comparisons to Midtown; there are none), he offered an explanation that, surprisingly, satisfied me.

Midtown's first two albums were average, late '90s rock (think comparisons to Sugar Ray even). The band broke up, but a year later, reformed to create Forget What You Know — possibly the most insightful, existential album ever penned by a formerly-generic pop rock/punk band (sample lyric: "Don't cry for me / Because I'm already dead"). In short, it was what got me through my senior year of high school. Read the band's biography, written by Saporta, on Midtown's website. Even if you could care less about this band, take the time to read this - it's hysterical.

After talking with Gabe, the reasons for pulling the plug the second time made complete sense; where can the band go after that album? The songs were too depressing to play night after night on tour and no future songs could ever match the intensity of Forget What You Know.

So instead of putting out something sub-par, the band quit for good, and Saporta moved on to Cobra Starship, a band where he believes in having fun and making money, not changing lives. I guess that's as worthy a goal as any.

You can listen to tracks from Forget What You Know on Midtown's purevolume site

I'd also kill to see reunions shows from Something Corporate and Ben Folds Five. What reunion are you most anticipating?

- Susan

can't take the heat? then get out the wild, wild west...

Needless to say, I'm emotionally bereft at missing last night's cowboy party. I expect a full run-down of gossip instead of Sunday meeting tomorrow.

xoxo,
Anna

Best Christmas gift EVER.

Confession: I'm obsessed.
I. Love. BlackRebelMotorcycleClub.

This band fulfills all remaining schoolgirl I-love-all-things-rock desires I have in my body. Last spring I wrote a raving review of their album Baby 81, and I'm about to do the same for American X: Baby 81 Sessions, their newest gift to the music world.

Track Listing:
1. "The Likes Of You"
2. "Vision"
3. "The Show's About To Begin"
4. "MK Ultra"
5. "Whenever You're Ready"
6. "20 Hours"
7. "Last Chance For Love"
8. "American X" (short film)

Personal favorites: #3 and #5. American X: Baby 81 Sessions will be available for musical ravaging in the US Dec. 4. Here's what guitarist Robert Levon Been has to say about it on BRMC's blog:
"We're proud of all our songs, even the ones that don't make it on the final album, they have a life force of their own... And we simply wanted to find a way of getting those songs out there.
As well as this short 9 minute film we created for "American X" with our friend and visionary artist Jamie Dagg, with whom we believe in and even paid out of our own pockets to get this released.
The strange thing is that for every album we've recorded there's at least twice as many songs that never see the light of day. So someday, hopefully when we're dead, maybe someone will unearthed all of it remember that, hey maybe those 3 strange kids that all dressed in black weren't so bad after all."

Spin it!
-Ann

Speaking of (the) Eagles

I thought it was interesting that Cole decided to blog about (the) Eagles. The "cheesy good guy" Glenn Frey is mentioned in Steve Martin's new autobiography, Born Standing Up. (To read a full review, check out Friday's Arts page in the Daily Iowan.)

Here's a little blurb from the middle of the book. I believe this scene took place in late 1972 or early 1973.

"One late night I was lingering in the bar and talking to Glenn Frey, who was just leaving his duo, Longbranch Pennywhistle. He said he was considering a name for his new five-man group. 'What is it?' I said. He said, 'Eagles.' I said, 'You mean, THE eagles.' He said, 'No, Eagles.' I said, 'You mean, THE Eagles?' He said, 'No, I mean, Eagles.' The name of the group, remains, of course, Eagles."

-(the) Ann Colwell

They Still Got It

I know, I know, the last time you listened to the Eagles was either in a grimy country bar or after you told your Dad that you weren't going to listen to Brooks & Dunn so he'd better choose an alternative.
And while "Hotel California" is in the same cryptically epic category as "Stairway to Heaven" and "All Along the Watchtower", the rest of the Eagles discography goes by the wayside.

Fusing country and rock much as Johnny Cash did (but to different generations), the Eagles established the template for guitar heavy melodies, vocal harmony ridden ballades, and the most recognizable band members since the Beatles.

It's the differences of each member that helped fans recognize a certain performer and led to their wildly successful group and solo career(s). Drunken bad boy Joe Walsh, cheesy good guy Glen Fry, singer/drummer (at the same time) Don Henley, and gender confused vocalist Timothy B. Schmit each gave the different component in an era of lead singers and ambiguous back-ups.

After 1977, fans thought that they'd heard the end of the Eagles. In 1999, however, a reunion ensued, showing that 50-some year old men can still pack a high C and sex appeal. 8 years later, greater surprise emerged: these washed up old guys made an album-a damn good album.

The album, Long Road Out of Eden is no last ditch effort for ex-rockers to make money. Instead, it is a fierce 20 song double disc set that explores blues, rock, and country. With singles galore, "How Long" is only the beginning of an Eagles resurgence into radio, TV, and movies.



-Coltrane (Cole) Cheney

i'm a gummi bear!

In my quest to procrastinate my life away, here's a youtube.com clip I watch near-daily basis:



Now, was that not the best use of 36 seconds ever? Try watching in slow or fast modes - it's hard to imagine, but it's even funnier than the original.

- Susan